Pro Bono Attorney – Hybrid in Hackensack, New Jersey
The Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden is accepting applications for a Pro Bono Attorney to serve a term of up to three years beginning in late Fall 2025/early Winter 2026.
The Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center offers attorneys a unique opportunity to work on public interest impact litigation and appellate advocacy within a law firm setting to uphold the rule of law, protect our democratic institutions, and ensure government transparency and accountability, as well as our ongoing work on criminal justice issues. The Pro Bono Attorney will participate as a full member of the legal team with significant responsibility and will work closely alongside the Center’s Director to promote and supervise the pro bono work of other lawyers at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden. By participating in a variety of coalitions, the Pro Bono Attorney will develop close working relationships with public interest lawyers, advocates, and organizations.
Job duties include:
- Serve as lead counsel or co-counsel in New Jersey state and federal courts on cases promoting the Center’s mission, including developing legal theories and litigation strategy and carrying out all aspects of litigation from case initiation through appeal.
- Represent parties and amici curiae before state and federal appellate courts, including drafting briefs and presenting oral arguments.
- Draft legal briefs, legal memoranda, complaints, dispositive motions, motions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, OPRA/FOIA requests and objections, position papers on legislation, petitions for rulemaking, as well as articles and op-eds on public interest topics that advance the Center’s mission.
- Monitoring legislative developments for bills or regulations impacting the media and other public interest clients.
- Nurture and develop relationships with clients, coalition partners, and firm attorneys.
- Speak at public events, present on panels or at conferences, and interact with media.
- Act as a thought partner with the Center’s Director and assist with administrative functions regarding the operation of the Center, including drafting marketing materials, tracking and summarizing cases, and supervising firm attorneys.
- Help expand the Center’s work to Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware courts.
Qualifications:
- J.D. from an accredited law school.
- Active membership in good standing in the New Jersey state bar. Membership in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, where we have offices, and other state and federal bars is a plus.
- At least five years of relevant legal experience, with an emphasis on legal analysis, writing, and oral advocacy.
- Subject matter experience in the following issue areas: First Amendment/free speech, media law (defamation, Shield Law, anti-SLAPP, data privacy); transparency (OPRA/FOIA, OPMA, and common law right of access), and criminal defense.
- Excellent research and writing skills, a strong passion for impact litigation and appellate advocacy, and a demonstrated interest in and deep commitment to social, racial, and economic justice.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and to handle multiple concurrent assignments.
- A prior state appellate clerkship or federal clerkship is a plus.
Term and Compensation:
The Pro Bono Attorney will commit to a full-time position, with a maximum term of three-years, and the opportunity to apply for a position at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden at the conclusion of the term. The Pro Bono Attorney will receive an annual salary of $125,000-$140,000 depending on experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, flexible working arrangements and a matching 401(k) Plan, which is available 6 months from an employee’s start date.
Applications:
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, list of three references, and a sample of your writing drafted within the last three years to CJ Griffin, Director of The Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center, at cgriffin@pashmanstein.com with a copy to Jennifer Lifschitz, Human Resource and Recruitment Manager at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., at jlifschitz@pashmanstein.com. Your cover letter should provide an explanation as to why you are interested in the Pro Bono Attorney position. The deadline to apply is November 14, 2025, but applications will be reviewed, and candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis. The target start date is January 2026 (or sooner if available).
About The Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center:
Established in 2019, the Stein Public Interest Center is dedicated to a broad range of public interest impact litigation and appellate advocacy that advances social, racial, and economic justice, protects civil liberties and constitutional rights, and promotes an open and transparent government.
The Center is named after retired New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Gary S. Stein in recognition of his distinguished career of dedicated public service and contributions to the legal profession. During his remarkable 17-year tenure on the Court, Justice Stein helped shape the law for generations to come. In honor of his legacy, the Center is dedicated to advocating for the rights and liberties of all individuals.
The establishment of the Center reflects the long-standing commitment of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden to lean in and to leave an imprint on the most important public interest issues of our time. Throughout the firm’s history, attorneys at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden have participated in New Jersey’s most significant public interest lawsuits and landmark appellate court cases, remaining at the forefront of issues such as government transparency, free speech, voting rights, criminal justice, and the integration of the state’s public schools.
Under the leadership of the Center’s Director, CJ Griffin, the Center partners with local, regional, and national organizations to promote and advance justice. Since the Center’s launch in 2019, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden attorneys have participated in nearly 100 cases that have resulted in published opinions by the New Jersey Appellate Division and New Jersey Supreme Court. These cases involved public access to police internal affairs reports, violations of Miranda warnings, the validity of non-disclosure agreements, the constitutionality of various criminal statutes that regulate speech, the rights of medical cannabis users, the standards to obtain a sexual assault protection orders, pre-trial detention of immigrants, access to police body-worn cameras, and racial discrimination in the jury selection process. More information about the Center’s work can be found at www.steinpublicinterestcenter.com.
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden received the 2020 Pro Bono Law Firm Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association. The firm has also received the New Jersey Law Journal’s Appellate Department of the Year award for six out of the last seven years, in part because of the significant public interest appellate work performed through the Center. In 2023, the firm was named New Jersey Law Journal’s Law Firm of the Year.
The Stein Public Interest Center is committed to recruiting, promoting, and retaining a diverse workplace and to increasing the diversity of the bar that appears before the New Jersey Supreme Court. The Center views diversity as an inclusive concept that encompasses, without limitation, race, color, ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, age, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation, and strongly encourages candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and impacted communities to apply.